E. L. Doctorow has given...
Illustration
E. L. Doctorow has given us a strikingly new kind of American novel in Ragtime. This is a fascinating picture of how America developed along with the Industrial Revolution. Mr. Doctorow creates a real feeling for how things moved and developed in the period which broke out in fury at the turn of the century. He does not run us through the ordinary type of simple American plot. Instead, he helps us to see how many forces work together in the society to produce one result. Suddenly we are made aware of how all these forces in the society also can work against the family. The family has been victimized by social forces that conspire to make life difficult.
Previous cultures had many built in mores to protect and assist the family in serving as the bulwark in the society. Now we face the fact that the family is at the mercy of what happens in the society. This is not the first time this has happened in history. Christianity had its beginnings in an era that was hostile to the faith. Because of all the forces working against what we once relied on to insulate us against the society, we know that we must work all the harder to preserve the family, the best of our traditions, and above all, our faith.
Previous cultures had many built in mores to protect and assist the family in serving as the bulwark in the society. Now we face the fact that the family is at the mercy of what happens in the society. This is not the first time this has happened in history. Christianity had its beginnings in an era that was hostile to the faith. Because of all the forces working against what we once relied on to insulate us against the society, we know that we must work all the harder to preserve the family, the best of our traditions, and above all, our faith.
